The Hellweathers By N.T. Carrington, Author of "Dartmoor"
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[Sir Cloudesley Shovel's ship, the Association, struck upon the
Gilstone, off Sicilly, with so much violence, that in about two minutes the
vessel went down, and every soul on board, but one, perished. This man saved
himself on a piece of timber, which floated to a rock called the
Hellweathers, where he was compelled to remain some days before he could
receive any assistance. Besides the Association, the Eagle, of 70, and the
Romney, of 50 guns, perished, with all their crews. The Firebrand, fireship,
was also lost, but most of her men were saved. Many persons of rank, and
about 2000 seamen perished on this occasion.
DREW'S HISTORY OF CORNWALL.]
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| THE blue wave roll'd away before the breeze |
| Of evening, and that gallant fleet was seen |
| Darting across the waters; ship on ship |
| Following in eager rivalry, for home |
| Lay on the welcome lee. The sun went down5 |
| Amid a thousand glorious hues that liv'd |
| But in his presence; and the giant clouds |
| Mov'd on in beauty and in power before |
| The day- god's burning throne. But soon was
o'er
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| The pomp celestial, and the gold-fring'd cloud10 |
| Grew dark and darker, and the Elysian tints |
| Evanish'd swift; the clear, bright azure
chang'd
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| To blackness, and with twilight came the shriek |
| Of the pursuing winds. Anon on high, |
| Seen dimly through the shadowy eve, the Chief15 |
| Threw out the wary signal, and they paus'd |
| Awhile upon the deep 3. Again they gave
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| Their sails to the fresh gale -- again the surge |
| Swept foaming by, and every daring prow |
| Pointed to England; -- England! that should greet20 |
| With her green hills, and long- lost vales, their eyes |
| On the sweet morrow. Beautiful is morn, |
| But, oh, how beautiful the morn that breaks |
| On the returning wanderer, doom'd no more |
| To live on fancy's visions of that spot25 |
| Beyond all others lov'd; -- that very spot |
| Now rising from the broad, blue waters, dear |
| To him as Heav'n. |
| With fatal speed they flew |
| Through the wide- parting foam. Again the deck30 |
| Slop'd to the billow, and the groaning mast |
| Bent to the rising gale; yet on that night |
| The voice of the loud ocean rose to them |
| In music, for the winds that hurry'd by |
| So fierce and swift, but heralded the way35 |
| To the lov'd island- strand. The jaws of death |
| Were round them, and they knew it not, until |
| Chilling the life- blood of the bravest, burst |
| The everlasting cry of waves and rocks |
| From stern Cornubia's isles. Alas, to them -- 40 |
| The lost, there blaz'd no friendly Pharos'
fire,
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| No star gleam'd from the heav'n. The sailor
heard
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| The roar of the huge cliff, and on his brow |
| Fell the cold dew of horror. On they came -- |
| Those gallant barks, fate driv'n -- on they came -- 45 |
| Borne on the wings of the wild wind, to rush |
| In darkness on the black and bellowing reef |
| Where human help avails not. There they struck |
| And sank; -- the hopes, the fears, the wishes all |
| Of myriads o'er, at once. Each fated ship50 |
| One moment sat in all her pride, and pomp, |
| And beauty, on the main; -- the next, she plung'd |
| Into the "hell" of waves, and from her deck |
| Thrill'd the loud death scream -- stifled as it rose |
| By the dark sea; -- one blow -- one shriek -- the grave!55 |
| And all was silent -- save the startling voice |
| Of the Atlantic, rising from that shore |
| In anger ever! Terribly its surge |
| Clos'd o'er them, and they perish'd
in that gulf
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| Where the dead lie innumerous, and the depths60 |
| Are rife with monstrous shapes, and rest is none |
| Amid the infuriate war of waters hurl'd |
| In endless, horrible commotion. Heard |
| Alone, between the pausings of the gale, |
| Was one faint, human wail. Where thousands sank65 |
| One rode the vengeful wave, preserv'd to be, |
| As seem'd, the sport of the mad billows: now |
| Upflung upon the mountain ridges -- now |
| Swift sinking in abysses vast that yawn'd |
| Almost to Ocean's bed. Yet life fled not,70 |
| Nor hope, though in the tempest's giant coil |
| He gasp'd for breath, and often writhed beneath |
| The suffocating waters! |
| Morning came |
| In vain, though on the island rock the sea75 |
| Had flung the hapless mariner. Around |
| Howl'd the remorseless surge; -- above, the cloud |
| Swept, terror- wing'd; -- the lightening
o'er the day
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| Shed an unnatural glare, and near him broke |
| The thunder with its peal of doom. No aid80 |
| Came through the long, long day, yet on the cliffs |
| Floated the cheering signal; -- from the strand |
| Came voices animating; -- men were there |
| Impatient as the bounding greyhound held |
| Within the straining leash -- a gallant band85 |
| Nurs'd in the western storm, familiar long |
| With danger, and with -- death, but might not brave |
| The monster, now. And thus the victim hung |
| Upon eternity's dread verge, and gaz'd |
| Appall'd upon its gulf; -- then backwards shrunk90 |
| Convulsively to life, and hope renew'd |
| Unfroze his blood, and o'er his features threw |
| A light that could not last. For evening came, |
| And the great sun descended to the main, |
| While oft the beautiful, beloved orb95 |
| The seaman watch'd, and sigh'd to see it
sink
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| Beneath the wave; but as the twilight grew |
| Deeper and deeper, and the darkness clos'd |
| Upon him, and the hungry, howling surge |
| Was heard below, loud clamouring for its prey,100 |
| He wept -- the lone man wept! |
| Again it came, |
| The unchang'd, unchanging morning, rising wild |
| Upon a joyless world; yet did his eye |
| Glisten to see the dawn, though it awoke105 |
| In tempest; and that day flew by, and night |
| Once more fell on him, and another morn |
| Broke, and the sufferer liv'd! The hand of death |
| Was on him, yet delay'd the fatal grasp; |
| And round the agonized victim look'd,110 |
| But succour came not! On the rugged rock |
| Crash'd the torn wreck in thunder, and the sea |
| Disgorg'd the dead -- within the black recoil |
| Of waters dash'd the dead; and on the brave, |
| The lov'd, he gaz'd, and at his Despair115 |
| Now sat, and pointed on the abyss! |
| *************** |
| *************** |
| A shout |
| Comes from the cliffs -- a shout of joy! Awake,120 |
| Thou lonely one from death's fast- coming sleep! -- |
| Arise, the strand is thronging with brave men -- |
| A thousand eyes are on thee, and a bark |
| Bursts o'er the breaching foam! The shifting cloud |
| Flies westward, and away the storm, repell'd125 |
| Relunctant sails: the winds have backward flung |
| The billows of the Atlantic! See, -- they come, -- |
| They come -- a dauntless island- band -- and now |
| A cheer is heard&mdash and hark the dash of oars |
| Among the reefs! His eye with instant hope130 |
| Brightens, and all the ebbing tides of life |
| Rush with returning vigour! Now the spray |
| Flies o'er the advancing pinnace, for the wave |
| Though half subdued is mighty; yet her prow |
| Victorious parts the surges, -- nearer roll135 |
| The cheers of that bold crew -- the welcome sounds |
| Thrill on his ear -- the deep'ning plunge of oars |
| Foams round the desert rock -- 'tis won!
'tis won!
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| And -- he is sav'd! |
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